Futile First: Lions 0-16 After 31-21 Loss to Pack. "No competitor wants to go through something like this," said Lions coach Rod Marinelli.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -The Detroit Lions own a distinction no team wants: worst in NFL history.

Facing one last chance to avoid their dubious destiny, the Lions lost Sunday's season finale to the Green Bay Packers 31-21 to complete the league's first 0-16 season. The 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14) were the last NFL team to complete a season without a victory.

It didn't come without a fight. After falling behind 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Kevin Smith's 9-yard touchdown run put Detroit back within a field goal.

But Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers responded with a 71-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver and the Lions' Dan Orlovsky threw an interception on fourth-and-27 with 3 minutes left, dooming Detroit to futility of historic proportion.

"No competitor wants to go through something like this," said Lions coach Rod Marinelli, who declined to discuss his future with the team. "This is not fun to go through, obviously. But there's people going through a lot worse than this."

The Lions were building toward this for years and now have lost 23 of their last 24 games. The 0-16 record will be a lasting testimony to the Matt Millen era. With Millen as president of the team from 2001 until he was fired on Sept. 24, Detroit won only 31 games - none this year, of course.

"It can't do anything but motivate you," Orlovsky said. "I don't ever want to be a part of this again. We haven't won since, November of '07, maybe? I don't even know the last time we won a game."

The Lions haven't won since Dec. 23, 2007, when they beat Kansas City. Green Bay is where this woeful streak began at the end of last season. Since then, the Lions have lost 17 straight and have been outscored 551-281.

Marinelli has gone 10-38 in three seasons. His future has not been announced, but team owner William Clay Ford has decided the leaders of the front office, Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand, will be back in some capacity.

"I am positive that every aspect of what we do as a football team has to be rethought and analyzed," veteran kicker Jason Hanson said.

Orlovsky was 22-of-42 for 225 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Lions, whose bid to stay out of the record book came undone in large part due to a pair of ill-advised penalties.

Rodgers was 21-of-31 for 308 yards and three touchdowns for the Packers (6-10), and Ryan Grant and DeShawn Wynn rushed for 106 yards each.

Trailing 14-7 early in the third quarter, Lions punter Nick Harris pinned the Packers at their 10-yard line. Safety Kalvin Pearson then put a hard hit on Grant to cause a fumble, and recovered the ball at the Packers 11.

Calvin Johnson caught a pass from Orlovsky in the flat and broke three tackling attempts to score a tying 14-yard touchdown with 10:20 left in the third quarter.

But the Packers put together a 12-play, 62-yard drive for a 36-yard field goal by Mason Crosby. After a three-and-out by Detroit's offense, Lions linebacker Ernie Sims' penalty for a late hit out of bounds on Grant played a key role on a drive that ended with a 5-yard pass from Rodgers to fullback John Kuhn.

The Lions weren't finished, as Orlovsky used two long completions to John Standeford to set up Smith's touchdown with 8:34 left. After the ensuing kickoff, Rodgers reared back and threw deep to Driver, who blew past Lions cornerback Leigh Bodden and ran in for a touchdown.

Orlovsky led the Lions back into Packers territory, but a taunting penalty on Smith moved the Lions back near midfield and Orlovsky threw an interception to Nick Collins.

Detroit fell behind 14-0 as Orlovsky managed a measly 9 yards passing in the first quarter. But the Lions' defense showed some fight early on before allowing Wynn to score on a 73-yard touchdown.

Rodgers also threw a fade to rookie tight end Jermichael Finley in the end zone for a 14-0 lead.

Detroit scored early in the second quarter, a 9-yard touchdown from Orlovsky to Johnson on third-and-goal.

The Model T, the Rouge Plant, and now...

Henry defined the auto industry - his idea to manufacture a product that his employees can afford to buy, was pure genius. And the employment of ex-cons to secure his family, turned into the downfall of his corporate legacy - maybe.

The last remaining American hope in the auto industry is Ford Motor Company - can it be a result of the Ford family beginning to buy back stock years ago?

Family owned.

Perhaps all the money the family saved with the Lions- will come in handy.

"Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something..."

Bailouts are not Loans - did you read your mortgage documents? You did? Good, than you know what "ARM" stands for, correct?

There is a great post over at the Caskey blog, here it's about Free Markets, recession and "You, Incorporated."

Bill really got me going on the subject of whining and feeling sorry for yourself and how easy it is to become a "victim".

Granted, everybody wants to help a victim, even if the circumstances are self inflicted. But to be perfectly blunt, and a little cold, "victims" are never "winners". Victims become winners when they overcome their victimization.

The current atmosphere of "bailouts for all of your mistakes..." is nauseating. Because we are now rewarding those who make stupid decisions. We can't call their acts stupid, but we can call them "victims" - and victims are entitled to bailouts.

Problem is, Free Markets change, demand for skilled labor changes and Change is Painful - Do you still use buggy-whips? I imagine there were a few buggy whip manufactures who went out of business when Ford unleashed his Model T; and what about saddle makers, and feed stores?

Yeah, yeah, I know, I know..."that was different..." phut!

Like Bill, I am from the Detroit area - I grew up in suburbia, went to a local university and Ended up living and working in the high-tech industry all over the eastern side of the state. I have had many lunches at the eatery Jimmy Hoffa was last seen.

And I remember the "dark days" of the Seventies when Lee Iaccoca went to Washington for a LOAN not a bailout; a loan that Chrysler paid off early.

The Times, they are different...

But the whining, the "entitlements" and the blame has festered, grown and spread - there are far, far fewer "You, Inc." people today. No more "Rugged Individuals", very few purveyors of Yankee Ingenuity with a Can Do attitude...nope.

Tough Times - Wash Away Flotsam

I have often said, "I don't participate in recessions." I don't.

One shouldn't respond out of fear, but most do - and it isn't the sheep responding that are as bad as those who use this to manipulate the scared into believing they can do nothing without "a little help from my friends..." i.e., "the government".

Tough times build character - if you win a game after losing one the week prior, the victory is so much sweeter. Of course, this assumes you keep score - how many youngsters play football(or any other sport)today and do not keep score, in an effort to save the loser from humiliation? The ultimate bailout. By shielding the loser from the pain of loss, we steal and shame away the joy of winning. And we destroy the opportunity to win with grace or lose with honor.

If it doesn't matter, why should we recover to come back and fight another day?

The Times, they are different...We have all the Americans Gone?

This is a great tribute and yet very sad - I fear the Americans that Byron is talking about have all left. Today's American whines, and paints his nails with clear polish.

Today's American wants to be loved for being "nice" not for being firm.

Byron MacGregor - The Americans
Uploaded by DwightFrye

In Bill's article, he says about the You, Inc. mentality, "...You choose where to live, based on your means. You choose what career to pursue based on your interest and ability. You chose your friends. You choose whether you want to go into massive debt or not..."

I wonder how many "Americans" view these thoughts as elitist...

I wonder how many Americans see these words as treason...

Say what you will, George has got great reaction time...
I get the feeling the "O" would stand there like Sadat and take the shoe hits as they come.

Well, seems that reality is much better than fiction. In the last days of the Bush term, the Bush haters get one more "gafaw" and SNL writers get a complete week to write this in...

But once again, the world mistakes Bush as the One and Only American responsible - as do most Bush Bashers.

Bush is the President of the United States of America - when somebody attacks the President, with words, bullets or shoes, that person is attacking ALL AMERICANS - the holder of the office is an exact extension of the will of the People of The United States of America. Whoever the current resident is Clinton, Carter, Obama, or Bush.

And this is the world we need to understand more?

This is the world we need to work with?

Identify and empathize with?

This is part of the world we will be lowering our standards for - in a effort to be more "liked" - and the Soviet Union, I mean Russia has Naval ships in Cuba -

The World is Upside Down.